Two consistent themes in Kirk Stoller’s work are connection and support. He builds sculpture using found wood, plastics, and part of things that he divorces from their original intent. He mixes these worn states with new and clean glossy surfaces. The narratives that arise when things are placed on or near one another reflects how he tends to make sense of the world. All life is a collection of small precariously placed pieces that rely on each other for strength, whether that is of actual form or simply memories of past events that may have been experienced.

Stoller’s foundation is painting, though he works and understands the world through a sculptor’s lens. The tension between painter and sculptor is reflected in his work, as he continues to be intrigued by the space that exits between the two mediums, both in the physical sense and with the various possibilities that are inherently distinct to each. He uses an interdisciplinary approach to push the boundary, while highlighting desired issues that can only be deciphered when the two are combined.

untitled (on point) and untitled (restings)…both 2011.

KIRK STOLLER was born in Oregon and was raised on a small farm outside of Portland. He received his BA in French Language from Portland State and his MFA from UC Berkeley. Stoller was the 2010-2011 recipient of the Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation Studio Residency in New York. He maintains a studio practice in San Fancisco and Brooklyn.